The Scout II doesn't have a long enough wheelbaseto do any long distance towing of your Ambassador. A Travelall would be a much better choice, if you want a vintage International tow vehicle. Also, I don't remember the Scout having a box frame under it, only a Unibody configuration. It has been sevedral years since I crawled under one, so I may be suffereing from a faulty memory about the frame.

Yes, you are suffering from faulty memory. The Scout II has a full frame, and it is boxed to boot.

Travelalls are better tow vehicles, and I have used them to tow for years without a problem International got it right with the Travelall.

That all being said, the Scout II is not a vehicle to tow a 29' trailer with. The wheelbase is too short, and having owned Scouts in the past, I can attest that the 0 degree caster angle front axle will make the handling of the truck/trailer combo "sporting" if not downright scary.

The longer WB Scout II "Traveler" would be a better choice, but it still lacks width in track, and also the biggest engine you could get was the 345 2bbl some years. The 392 was an option that was almost standard with most dealers that sold Travelalls, and most of them also had trailer towing packages with bigger radiators, and transmission coolers.

The Scout is neat, in other words, but not the best choice if International is what you want to use.

If having shade wherever you camp is important to you, by all means get a diesel. Hauling your very own shade tree around is a breeze with the extra torque of a diesel. But be warned, it does cut the average mpg down to about 13.8.

Ryan,
Most 2500hd 6 litre owners have found out that the 4.10 rear end ratio works out better than the 3.73 rear end because the 6 litre loves high rpms. It also has a relatively flat torque curve. Something about that 4.10 rear end that really shines with this motor. Many owners of '01 2500hd 6 litre combinations have been really happy yet there are many more who have been plagued with the "cold start knock" which sounds like a diesel. Pay close attention to motor sounds when the engine starts up from cold if you end up looking at '01-'03 6 litre engines. Further information can be researched at PickupTruck.Com: The Online Community for Pickup Truck Enthusiasts under the GM trucks forum section. The 6 litre is fully capable of towing your trailer but I would be sure to get the 4.10 rear end.

What experience has anyone had with using and towing a vintage AS with an AS B-Van? How was the comfort, windage, fuel economy, towing ratio, etc.
Where can I find what years they were made and specs on them?
I appreciate the experience of this list......

What experience has anyone had with using and towing a vintage AS with an AS B-Van? How was the comfort, windage, fuel economy, towing ratio, etc.
Where can I find what years they were made and specs on them?
I appreciate the experience of this list......

I have had a IH scout and a 3/4 ton IH pickup (cornbinder) for all you farm folk. Couple things to consider, If I am redundant its because I didn't read all the posts, I have had the vehicles so I am commenting. The scout I had was tough,,,but not a good tow vehicle because of too short of wheelbase. The IH pickup I had was a good tow vehicle but neither of them had a great deal of power. I had the 401 in the truck and the I6 in the scout. The two things that IH were good for....The pickup in particular ....YOU CAN"T over load them....they had enough spring to haul hour house....NOT you'r trailer house..you'r stick and stone house..lol. The damn thing would haul anything ya put in it....the other thing that IH vechles ALL do...is burn fuel....THEY ARE GAS HOGS. ...NO other way to put it. I have had exsperience with not only my own in the past but my father...my uncle on His farm Good trucks...with a big appitite.

The Ford V-10 with the three valvue motor is strong pullers. Matter of fact they will come close to pulling with the diesels if equiped correctly. And they get reasonable fuel mileage. Read some articles about the comparison in MR TRUCK and so on. The Newer V-10s are strong..and they have had a great reputation for longevity.

Actually the Ford V10 is generally a very reliable engine. I am new to airstreams but at one time I owned half of a diesel repair (towboat & railroad) shop. We used 1 tons to hot-shot parts up and down the Mississippi. We got 480,000 miles out of a Ford 460. The gold standard was the Power Stroke 7.3. We had 2-4 of these running all the time. My ex-partner is still using a 95' we bought used in 98' and it has 400,000 HARD miles constantly pulling a trailer with 8000-15,000 pounds of parts. Ford 7.3s last a long time. That said, when Ford went to the 6.0 they had to put out 66 service bulletins betwwen 03' and 06' to cover problems that kept cropping up(that figure may be higher now). By comparison Chevy only had to put out 8 bulletins on the Duramax. However, Dodge didn't have to put out any. I pull with a Dodge Dually Long bed 2wd, 5.9 diesel, auto trans. with a camper shell and I get 21.5 mpg highway empty and 15-17 mpg pulling my 25' trailer. I calculate mpg the old fashioned way I divide miles traveled by gallons to fill-up. If you buy a Dodge diesel stick with the 5.9 and look for an 03'-05' model. I bought a 98' Dodge 2500 for my personal use because it was 5K less than a comparable Ford at the time and I got rid of it in 05' to get the quieter engine. It had 220,000 miles on it and no engine repairs except for good maintenance and new injectors at 180,000 or so. The older Dodges were bulletproof with a manual transmission and the automatic was their weak link but they fixed that around 04'. I use a 3.73 gear and its fine. Nice big breaks too. I have heard horror stories about the mileage of the new 6.4 Fords, ie 7-8 mpg but that could all be gloom & doom over the new diesel restrictions. If you drive a lot--go diesel. If you don't pull long distances and your tow vehicle isn't your daily driver like mine is then look at a Dodge V10 in 2500 or 3500 configuration. Silky smooth power and lots of it. 10 mpg empty or pulling 8 tons. These can be had on the cheap (like $10,000 cheaper)and the money saved buys lots of gas.